


Any Way You Want It

by thegrimshapeofyoursmile



Series: Lamen ABO Verse [2]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: M/M, Masturbation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega!laurent, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Vaginal Fingering, Workout, a/b/o dynamics, alpha!damen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 20:39:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7948282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrimshapeofyoursmile/pseuds/thegrimshapeofyoursmile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Work-out Day! Work-out Day!“ Damen and Nikandros chanted in what seemed to be an ungodly expression of frat Alphas and Laurent was seriously tempted to reconsider his life choices. It was hard to imagine that the same Damen who had sparkly eyes at the prospect of sweating away for hours in a stinky, testosterone-filled fitness center was the same man that had cried over Robert Browning’s poem ‘Andrea del Sarto‘ the night before when Laurent had read it to him.</p><p>(Chapter 4: Push It)</p><p>///</p><p>Short little one-shots following Damen and Laurent trying to build a life together. ABO dynamics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for checking this out! This will be a small collection of one-shots in the verse of "A World To Roam Through, And A Home With Thee", so you might want to read that first.
> 
> The first story takes part somewhere before the epilogue of "A World To Roam Through, And A Home With Thee" and is terribly self-indulgend because I wanted something fluffy.
> 
> Have fun!

There was a loud noise, and then there was blood.

Hard ground underneath his feet. Ringing in his ears. Drifting, always drifting through the heat and the sand that found its way into every fold of his clothes. Where was he? There was no way he could tell where anyone was, let alone the one he was looking for. More blood, seeping through his pants, dripping behind him. Something told him to cover his tracks, but moving forward was more important. And always, always the lingering knowledge that it was already too late, that nothing he did could stop it from happening – 

“Damen.”

He jerked upwards. Distantly, he could feel that he was covered in sweat, drenched with it already. Breathing felt too hard, so he pressed both hands against his chest and tried his best to even out his breaths. There was light coming from a little lamp on the night table, friendly, warm light that chased the haunting shadows into the corners of their bedroom.

“Damen. Everything is alright. It was just a dream. You’re with me – remember? Scent me.”

He did, pushing the body he could feel beside him into the cushions, towering over him and pressing his nose into the crook of a neck to deeply inhale. Immediately he felt at ease. This was his mate, Damen realized, pushing his nose even more against delicate skin, this was Laurent. He was home, and after this realization he felt foolish and ashamed and tried to peel himself from Laurent, who did not particularly like being held down and cornered, but Laurent wrapped his arms around Damen’s neck and kept him where he was, so Damen just shifted his weight a little until it no longer fully rested on his lover. “I’m sorry.”

“No more apologies for matters like that in this household, we had an agreement about that,” said Laurent, but his voice was quiet and soft and lovely in a way he only ever used with Damen in their shared bedroom. One of his hands found its way into Damen’s curls and he closed his eyes when his lover gently combed through them with slender, careful fingers. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Damen thought about it, calming underneath Laurent’s kind ministrations. Sometimes he talked endlessly about a dream, but sometimes they were too horrible, too cruel to be shared with his lover; Laurent definitely was not a delicate flower, but some things just hit too close to home for Damen to voice them aloud. This dream had not particularly fallen in one of those categories, so he just said, “It was the war. And I think I was looking for you, but I couldn’t find you.”

“Well, but now you’ve found me,” said Laurent very calmly, “and that means that everything is alright. We have paid our bills, there is food in the fridge, we are both healthy and we just moved into our first shared apartment, which is nice and clean and spacious enough. War is far away.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel like that,” Damen murmured and shifted a little until he could put his ear against Laurent’s chest. “Sorry. I shouldn’t bother you with that. Go back to sleep, you’ve got to study for your exam tomorrow.”

“I will make you some tea,” Laurent decided as if Damen had not spoken at all, and then, because this was not the first time a situation like this had happened and they had made the experience that leaving Damen alone in moments like this was a bad idea, he added, “Come with me into the kitchen, will you?”

Damen obliged because he knew that he would not be able to sleep again for a while and because he was secretly relieved that Laurent did not plan to leave him alone to wakefulness as well – then again, Laurent would have never left him alone to his demons, no matter how hard Damen argued. It was something Jokaste had understood in the beginning and had endured at the end; Laurent never even commented on it, just rolled with those occasions and fit them into his already a bit weird sleeping schedule by shrugging on one of Damen’s shirts and walking into their kitchen on bare feet, his golden hair a sleepy mess around his lovely face. 

Damen followed him, watching Laurent’s back and wrapping his arms around his waist from behind when his lover started to open a few cupboards to boil a small pot of water. Laurent was warm and calm and real, and he gently tangled their fingers together while they waited for the water to start boiling, turning around in Damen’s arms and looking at him for a moment before he dived in for a short, but sweet kiss. Once more, Damen thought about proposing to him; but Laurent had only turned twenty a few weeks before and the timing was not appropriate. He wanted to wait until Laurent had graduated and was ready to start a new part of his life. For a moment, he thought of Jokaste; but the image was fleeting, just wistful thinking of what could have been, perhaps, in another life and it was easily discarded for reality. 

“I love you,” he said, if only to watch Laurent flush red at his words. He did not say that he was grateful for the way Laurent took care of him; he had done so once, and Laurent had made it very clear that he was not very fond of remarks that hit too close to all the Omega stereotypes out there, which was a pity because Damen really very much appreciated what his lover did for him. 

“You love my tea,” Laurent replied and filled two cups with water and herbs before he gently pushed one of them into Damen’s hands. “Let’s watch a movie.”

“It’s three in the morning and you have to study tomorrow,” said Damen.

“I was thinking of something funny, perhaps,” said Laurent and took his hand to lead him into what would someday be their fully furnished living room. Right now, there was only the broad, dark-purple couch Laurent had brought with him and the big flat-screen TV Damen had purchased two weeks ago, but it was comfortable enough for them and when they fell onto the couch, Laurent immediately curling up against Damen, it felt like home.

“You know, one of us has to move to turn on the TV and push the DVD in,” Damen remarked after a while, to which Laurent only snorted and took a sip of his tea. “No? Alright.”

“In a minute,” said Laurent and closed his eyes, radiating warmth and comfort and calmness which affected Damen in the best possible ways. They stayed like that for quite a while without moving until their cups were empty, and then they stayed on the couch a little, just touching and caressing, Laurent talking quietly and calmly about topics that interested him without expecting an answer.

Damen fell asleep to the sound of his voice without having ever seen the movie.


	2. The Things That I Have Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick oneshot because I miss this universe - and because I still have a lot of ideas for it, but time always gets in my way. ._.

“Would you like to have one,“ Laurent begins one day at a completely random time. Damen looks up in surprise from where he has tried to fix Laurent’s car despite his mate’s protest that he should call a professional. _Professional_ , Damen had scoffed, _I can take care of that just fine_. To which Laurent had replied, _Fine, you stubborn mule_ , and had proceeded to watch him as he had grown increasingly frustrated with the broken engine.

“What?“ Damen asks, “A new engine? Yeah, that would probably be-“

“A child,“ Laurent says very sharply and Damen almost breaks his neck by how fast he whips his head around to stare at him. Laurent stares back with cool blue eyes, his face carefully neutral. They had not talked about this so far. They probably should talk about it. Apparently, Laurent had decided that they were talking about this now.

“You’re not done with university yet,“ Damen points out and slowly wipes his oily fingers on a rag. Laurent, beautiful, perfect Laurent in a white shirt and expensive pants, leans against the car’s side and watches him. “Laurent…what brought this on?“

But he knows. Of course he knows; it really is not that hard to find out, anyways. Damen thinks of the day before where they visited Damen’s family that greeted Laurent with poorly veiled hostility – to which Laurent responded with coldness. He got on with Jokaste quite well from the start, which surprised everyone but Damen, who had expected this. It was awkward from the beginning, Laurent the only Omega in a room full of Alphas and Beta, and yet so regal, so composed and cynic that Theomedes, a member of the old school, could not help but hate him from the beginning. It did not help that he was an Aurifére and that resentment ran deep through Damen’s family once it had started to fester. And it was, of course, awkward that Kastor had touched Jokaste like he did, had made a point of touching her neck and shoulders, and her rounded belly that attracted Damen’s gaze so often. He could not help it; it was a reflex, nursing an old wound that still ached and had nothing at all to do with Laurent. All things considered, the visit was a complete desaster and Damen thinks that maybe it was a mistake to begin with. 

“Well, do you or do you not,“ Laurent says impatiently and taps against the car window. “It’s a simple question, simple enough for even you to fully comprehend.“

Damen does not bat an eyelash at the insult. “Is this because of Jokaste?“

He knows he is right when Laurent does not respond right away and instead continues to stare at him with hard eyes. Then, finally, his mate says, “You looked at her protrusion quite a lot. Envious?“ 

“It was supposed to be mine,“ is what slips out of Damen’s mouth, which is exactly what he did not want to say, exactly the wrongest thing to say in this very situation, exactly the one thing to say that could hurt Laurent the most. And Laurent takes the blow as he takes every hard one, without even the littlest flinch and only a very slight flutter of his nostrils. Damen has wrapped his arms around him before he can even blink, hugging him tightly enough that it is almost enough to ignore the stiffness of Laurent’s limbs.

“Do you still love that woman?“ Laurent asks and it is harsh enough that it sounds more like a demanding statement. There are so many things Laurent can be hurt with, Damen thinks, and he has let him in on so many of them already, even though there are still things Laurent keeps from him well – old sadness, old fears, new doubts. “A Beta,“ he says next, spits it out in means of suffocating Damen with it, yet he never tries to slip from Damen’s grasp. “A snake, a brotherfucker, a whore waltzing from one Alpha to another-“

“Stop,“ Damen says because he knows that it will get worse, that Laurent stings the most when he is hurting, and somehow he has managed to hurt him so badly without even knowing it. “Laurent, stop-“

“-fucking your brother like she has fucked you, Damen, only that he seems to be hung well enough to be able to satisfy her, so much that she’s even undertaken hormonal therapy to conceive a baby, something she’s never done for you – isn’t that right, Damen? And yet you look at her, still look at her like that-“

“Laurent, please!“ Damen grinds out because it hurts and he can feel that Laurent hurts, too. When Damen looks at him, his face is pale and closed-off, lips trembling against Damen’s cheek when he starts to kiss his nose and cheekbone. “Please. I love you.“ 

“Words,“ Laurent says, and his lips keep on trembling while he remains unmoving like a doll in Damen’s arms. 

“I can’t help it that I loved her too, once, and that I dreamed of a future with her,“ Damen says, “And I will not apologize for that either. But we parted ways, she made her choice and I made mine – and I’m happy, really, because you make me happy.“ 

“Half a year,“ Laurent replies, “And you still haven’t tried to mark me once. You haven’t spent a single heat with me yet because I’m – because I’m broken, because it makes me so uncomfortable, I don’t like getting pregnant, I don’t want it – I don’t want to taint a child with my blood.“ 

“Jesus,“ Damen says after pause that stretches slightly too long. Laurent’s lips tremble again and he looks away. It breaks Damen’s heart and it does not take much to gently pull Laurent’s head against his chest. “You’re perfectly fine, my love, and you’re not a breeding machine, Jesus Christ – and you’re not broken, you’re not, you’re beautiful and clever and perfect and I love you. If you don’t want any children, that’s fine.“

Laurent says nothing for a long, long while; after a few minutes, he can feel him nestle more into his arms, finally relaxing into the embrace, and gladly tightens them a little more around him. “I do not think you realize what a fool of a man you are,“ he finally says very quietly, “Sitting at the same table with your brother that has taken your mate, and said mate that is carrying your brother’s child – and yet you kiss both their cheeks and smile and I know that you mean it.“

And Damen knows what he does not say, knows what Laurent means, and very softly kisses his forehead. “I love them.“ 

“I know,“ Laurent sighs and Damen can feel his fingers in his hair. “Fool…such a fool you are, swallowing your misery for others…“

“Is that what you think I do by staying with you?“ Damen wonders aloud and shakes his head. “That is not the case, Laurent. I’m with you because you make me happy, you make my life interesting and stimulating and I wouldn’t like to be with anyone else. And besides, you are quite considerate with me as well – you comfort me after nightmares, you look after my wardrobe, you visit my family with me because you know it is important to me-“ 

“That is nothing,“ Laurent says dismissively, “compared to-“ 

“To what? Not knotting you? Not sharing a heat with you and breeding you like an animal? Not marking you? _That_ is nothing, nothing at all. We both respect each other’s boundaries – that’s what people in a healthy relationship do. Easy as that!“ 

“I think,“ Laurent says with great effort into his chest, “We could try that marking thing – that is, if I can mark you too.“

For a moment Damen is too stunned to say anything. Against his chest, Laurent takes a deep, deep breath and Damen finds himself tangling his fingers with long, blond hair. “Alright,“ he says softly, unable to keep his voice free from the warm happiness he feels. “As long as you really want it. And you can always say no – well, I mean, before I bite. But…“ 

“I know, I know,“ Laurent replies and when his arms finally wrap themselves around Damen in a strangely unsure gesture, Damen thinks that his heart is going to burst with love. There will be touches later, he is sure of it, gentle touches without much heat, but full of all the things Laurent finds so hard to speak out loud. “Now go call a professional for that engine, for heaven’s sake. Your talents lie elsewhere.“

Damen is not even mad.


	3. Experiments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly porn with a bit of character development and emotional Damen. You have been warned. :p

Damen sits up from where he has napped on the couch when he hears the sound of the door opening. In steps, as expected, Laurent, looking beautiful and pristine as usual, even though he must be exhausted from the day he has had. When he notices Damen, a small smile flits over his face and he shrugs out of his coat, hangs it up properly and slips out of his shoes before he fits himself into Damen’s arms and against his chest.

It has been three weeks since they moved in together in their apartment and still he cannot get enough of this simple bliss, Damen thinks and presses a gentle kiss on top of Laurent’s head. He still has not marked Laurent and they have not spent a heat together so far, but even though his friends playfully give him shit for it, he does not care. They do not know what it means that Laurent is so completely relaxed when he rests his head against Damen’s chest and gently caresses his shoulders with his long, elegant fingers. They do not know what it means to hold him close without being pushed off, what it means to be trusted in the way Laurent trusts him – fully, with his heart open in unforgiving tenderness.

“Let me get you something to eat,“ he hums into Laurent’s hair and Laurent snorts because he knows exactly how much Damen likes to fix him some food. They both know it’s instincts – Damen wants to provide and nurture, which is difficult with someone as independent as Laurent. Sometimes Laurent indulges him, but today he shakes his head. 

“I already ate on the way home,“ he says and the way he says “home“ immediately satisfies Damen enough to cause him to purr. He can feel Laurent’s lips curve into a smile against his sternum. It’s unusual for him to be in such a good mood after an appointment with his therapist, even more so since Laurent has made more appointments than usual in the past weeks. There is something he is working through, Damen knows, and it is something that leaves him in a foul mood more often than not after seeing his therapist, but he has not asked what it is since he trusts that Laurent will tell him whenever he is ready. “I was – wondering, however. If you’d like to – if you’re in the mood to try something out with me.“ There is a slight pause before he adds, “In bed.“

“Oh!“ Damen exclaims way too loudly in his surprise and looks down to meet Laurent’s steady gaze and small smile. It is weird and perhaps a little unhealthy that he immediately is turned on even though Laurent has not even told him what he is up to; it is just that the past weeks were a little empty in matters of sex and as much as he respects Laurent’s boundaries and has not tried to push even once, he misses it, misses Laurent’s naked body against his own, his hot gaze and sinful tongue. His dick apparently misses it too and Laurent shoots him an amused gaze of disbelief. “Sorry, I…yes, totally, whatever you want.“

“You know, you would regret that if I were up to some really sick kink now,“ Laurent remarks and shakes his head before he sits up a little. “But I just, well.“ He looks down on his hands and Damen can see him consider before he sighs, halfway turned away from Damen as if to shield himself. “I’d like to try jerking off.“

“Oh,“ Damen repeats, this time softer and without thinking he extends a hand and gently touches Laurent’s rigid spine. It has been a sensitive topic, that one; he knows that Laurent has deep problems with it and he also knows what caused them, so he is fully in favor of this experiment. “Sounds like a plan! Do you want us to go into the bedroom?“

“Yes,“ Laurent says decisively enough that Damen is quite sure that he already has everything planned out in his mind. “I’ll go take a shower. Wait for me in the bedroom. Naked. I’ll be there in a few minutes. No romantic music or something like that, but you may light a few candles if you like. I prefer the subtle light.“

“Yes, sir,“ Damen says and kisses his cheek before he all but runs into the bedroom, positively giddy as he hears the shower a few moments later. Laurent always manages to surprise him, always seeks to surpass himself. And he knows that part of it is because Laurent wants to be better for him, a truth that causes his heart to ache with tenderness. He can do nothing but honor and value him, so that is what he does – that, and lighting a few candles on their nighttables before getting undressed and settling down comfortably in the cushions. 

Laurent emerges from the shower with slightly damp hair that curls a little on the ends and dressed in nothing but his dark-blue bathrobe. He is beautiful and focused as he climbs onto the bed and fits himself into Damen’s arms again, but his small smile is genuine. No word is spoken as he reaches for Damen’s face and draws him downwards to kiss him, soft lips searchin his own with the surety of someone who has kissed that mouth many times before. He smells amazing, the sweetness of rising Omega arousal combined with his naturally harsher smell causing Damen’s dick to twitch against his naked, milky-white thigh in interest. He knows that the knowledge of being the source of Damen’s arousal is enticing to Laurent, so he does not even pretend to be unaffected by the way Laurent simply is, the way he fits against Damen so perfectly.

“Can I touch you a little?“ he whispers and Laurent nods, swiftly undoing the belt of his robe to cause it to fall open. Damen gently lets his hands glide down Laurent’s perfect, muscled chest and stomach, lovingly stroking the soft insides of his thighs before he reveres Laurent’s slender cock that is on his way to hardening. Laurent makes a soft noise, his gaze darkening in arousal before he closes his eyes and leans his head against Damen’s shoulder. His fingernails scrape lightly against Damen’s hips when Damen lets his fingers glide slower, down to Laurent’s cunt. 

“You’re beautiful,“ he murmurs when he gently parts the velvety folds and finds Laurent already a little wet. He thinks of putting his mouth there and licking into him until Laurent squirms, thinks of swallowing that wetness until Laurent’s dick twitches in the throes of an orgasm. He has managed to make Laurent come like that before, just from eating him out for almost an hour and slowly jerking him until he could not feel his jaw or tongue anymore, aching for hours afterwards. But this is not about him bringing pleasure to his lover and so he stills, lifting his head to look at Laurent, whose eyes are closed as he breathes a little deeper. “What do you want me to do, my love?“

For a moment Laurent says nothing and Damen is starting to think that maybe Laurent is not as sure about this as he seemed, but then Laurent opens his eyes, looks at him and says, “I want you to finger me while I touch myself.“

Damen dazedly thinks that he might probably faint from arousal and just nods, not trusting his voice to speak. He is distinctly aware that his own cock is hard and leaking as he settles down between Laurent’s legs, but he presses it down against the mattress and tries to forget about it; this is not about him and he is glad that it is that way. Instead, he leans a little over Laurent and kisses him gently as he slips one finger into him. There is a soft noise against his lips as his finger slips deeper, slowly pushing in and out in a rhythm that he knows Laurent likes, and his lover responds by lazily moving his hips against him. 

He watches as one of Laurent’s hands wraps itself around his lovely cock and gives it an experimental stroke. There are many things Damen could tell him: how to move his hand, how to give his head a little squeeze, how to push the foreskin tightly over the sensitive corona and back to make it feel really good, but he keeps quiet; this is something Laurent is discovering for himself, perhaps for the first time since he was a boy, and he does not want to spoil anything. Instead he focuses on the growing wetness around his finger and the way Laurent’s walls gradually loosen a little more, and he brushes a soft, gentle kiss against the corner of Laurent’s lovely mouth. 

This is Laurent learning to love himself, he thinks and watches as Laurent gently experiments with himself, and it is that very gentleness that is so important. Before now, Laurent has only ever touched himself fleetingly, dismissively, if at all. But this, this is important intimacy – Laurent is learning to feel himself again and he has allowed Damen to be part of it. Damen lowers his head and kisses him again, reverently, and Laurent aches up into his touch. He is trembling a little, but his fingers move more confident now and apparently he has found a few nice spots that make him even wetter. Damen breathes in deeply the smell of his arousal and tries his damn best to not pop a knot right then and there. 

“You’re so sexy,“ he murmurs without thinking and Laurent looks up at him from underneath his golden lashes with a smile. His breath is heavy and hot now, a sure sign that he is at least as aroused as Damen.

“I think about you fucking me,“ Laurent murmurs and Damen’s breath catches in his throat. Laurent’s blue eyes are feverish and unfocused before they slip shut and he arches into his own fingers. “You always fuck me so good – you always try to hold back and then you lose it – because you can’t resist me – I wonder what it’d feel like if you came inside me.“ Damen’s mouth is dry as the desert, but Laurent is nowhere near done, apparently working himself up as he groans, “You always come so much – I bet you’d love it if I allowed you to squirt all over my face – just like you love it when I ride you. I’ll cuff you to the bed one of these days – make you my toy.“

Damen positively whines at that and burrows his face against Laurent’s neck, feeling hot and tingly all over. He almost forgets to move his finger, but then adds another; Laurent is close enought that Damen knows he will enjoy the stretch of an additional finger, and he does, sighing with pleasure and curling his toes. He is close and his breath comes in soft pants now; Damen kisses his flushed skin unthinkingly, uncontrollably everywhere he can reach. “I’m yours,“ he murmurs like a prayer, “I’m yours to command, I’ll do anything to make you feel good, I’m yours.“

Laurent comes with a small, almost inaudible noise and trembles against him, fingers wet with the clear, spermless liquid that his cock produces and clenching around Damen’s fingers in a way that makes him moan. They kiss, languidly and lazily, and Laurent’s hands stay in Damen’s hair, drawing him closer and keeping him there. 

“That was nice,“ he finally says with some satisfaction in his voice and Damen smiles against his cheek before wrapping him into his arms. He is surprised when, after a while, his lover quietly murmurs, “I’m glad you were with me.“

“Always,“ Damen replies and kisses his cheek, his heart bursting with love.


	4. Push It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Damen and Nikandros work out and Laurent is hot and bothered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know jack shit about weight lifting and working out and stuff. Bear with me. This was written for a friend of mine who requested Nikandros and Damen as workout bros in fond memory of the movie "King Cobra", which I liked very much btw.

Damen was in an exhilarated mood ever since he had opened his eyes that morning. Laurent knew why and it amused him to no end. He had decided to go along with his ridiculous fiancé and got up when Damen all but danced into the shower, singing underneath the water. Workout Day did that to him. For a moment, Laurent allowed himself to listen to him with a small smile and ignored the exhaustion that had seeped into his bones, sleep still stubbornly clinging to his features. He wrapped himself into his black morning gown and tied up his hair into a practical ponytail before he left their bedroom and wandered into the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.

By now Laurent knew the drill for Workout Day well enough, since every Saturday was Workout Day. In about an hour Nikandros would ring their bell and a lot of excited backslapping would ensue while Laurent would ask himself whether he had eloped with a frat boy. For now he did his best to prepare all the proteins and carbs Damen would need during his trip to the local fitness center. Breakfast was something he could do by now, even though nobody would attest him to be a good cook. That was the reason why he toasted two slices of whole-grain toast for Damen while he managed to turn six eggs into somewhat decent scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions in them. It was a matter of much concentration and he almost sliced his fingers off, but by now he was used to that as well. The second part of breakfast was a little easier as well since it only consisted of of cereals with yoghurt and fruits, something Laurent liked to eat as well. After a moment of hesitation he decided to turn on that obnoxious happy music from the 80’s that Damen loved so much. It did not take long until he found himself quietly humming to one of them and he stopped, exasperated with Damen for bringing him down on this level, even if the man himself was not even in the room. 

Damen came into the kitchen freshly showered, his hair still dripping a little and his body only wrapped in a towel around his hips. Laurent leaned in and bit into one of his dark and lovely nipples, enjoying the high yelp his lover emitted at that. “There’s breakfast for you.“

“I love you,“ Damen said and pressed a gentle kiss on top of his head before he merrily sat down and started to inhale everything that Laurent had shoveled onto his plate. Laurent took a seat next to him and watched him in silent amazement. Looking up, Damen grinned at him between two bites of egg and cereals like an eager schoolboy. “Thanks, darling.“

“You’re welcome. Ah-“ There was the sound of the doorbell. As soon as Laurent had stood up and opened the door, Nikandros propelled in like an oversized three-year-old, breezing past him in a ridiculously tight, sleeveless white shirt without even noticing him. What followed was a minute-long backslapping and shoulderclapping in such intricate patterns of pure bromance accompanied by enthusiastic grunts and noises that Laurent could not have replicated it even if he wanted to.

“Work-out Day! Work-out Day!“ they chanted in what seemed to be an ungodly expression of frat Alphas and Laurent was seriously tempted to reconsider his life choices. It was hard to imagine that the same Damen who had sparkly eyes at the prospect of sweating away for hours in a stinky, testosterone-filled fitness center was the same man that had cried over Robert Browning’s poem ‘Andrea del Sarto‘ the night before when Laurent had read it to him.

“Go dress yourself and then for my sake get out of here,“ Laurent ordered his lover, squawking indignantly when Damen lifted him into the air in an exuberant expression and almost lost his towel in the process. “Let me down this instant, you animal! Come on, I’ll prepare your shakes in the meantime.“

He was glad that Damen gently lowered him down again and rushed into the bedroom after a quick kiss and busied himself by preparing several shakes consisting of low fat curd cheese, milk, bananas and a little bit of honey. “I made some for you too,“ he commented off-handedly to Nikandros, who stared at him in stunned silence for several seconds before he finally stammered out a thanks. After a while Damen came back, clad in the same ridiculous sleeveless shirt as Nikandros together with ridiculously tiny, red shorts that accented his glorious ass. Laurent could not help but eye it with a subtle, appraising gaze before he handed Damen his shakes.

“You’re the best,“ Damen said gratefully and kissed his temple.

“Get out,“ Laurent muttered and ducked away beneath his heavy arm, “I’ll bring you lunch later.“

The backslapping occured again, seemingly to no reason, at least no reason that Laurent could discover. He shook his head and decided not to think about it too much, watching instead as Damen and Nikandros squeezed themselves out of the door and happily thundered down the stairs. Laurent pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Workout Day was exhausting in more than one way. 

&&&&&&

“No little bitches!“ Damen roared on top of his lungs and stemmed the heavy barbell into the air with his entire weight. Next to him Nikandros did the same, shouting “No little bitches!“ with equal fervor in an unreleting rhythm with Damen. There was something about Workout Day that was good not only for his body, but for his soul as well; it was as if with all the sweat he was sweating out his bad emotions as well, all the thoughts and fears. On Workout Day, everything in the world was alright. There were no worries at all, only strained muscles, sweat, tears and the certain knowledge that after returning home Laurent would jump him at first chance, wrapping his slender legs around him and allowing him to fuck him against the wall. The thought empowered Damen enough that he cheerfully doubled the weight and ordered Nikandros to assist him. Maybe, if he was lucky enough, Laurent would stroll inside the fitness center in those yoga pants he sometimes wore, hair tied into a high ponytail that highlighted his sharp features. Always, always all people stopped and looked at him when he strode into the building, but Laurent never even spared them a glance and came right over to Damen. He loved Lifting Day just as much as Damen, even if it was because of different reasons. 

“Squeeze that ass,“ Nikandros growled passionately while he secured the weights, “stretch those muscles!“

“Fuck yeah,“ Damen replied with equal favor, straining to lift the bar as high as possible and panting under the exertion, “Give it to me, I want it, I want those muscles to rip-“

“It’s not enough if you can still talk so much, you pussy,“ Nikandros taunted him and added a bit more weight, causing Damen to groan. “That’s it, man, groan for me-“

“Perhaps I am interrupting something,“ a familiar voice commented and Damen lifted his head to see Laurent who, indeed, was wearing yoga pants that were tight enough to leave not much to imagination. Immediately Damen let go of the bar and almost dropped it on his head, had Nikandros not reacted quickly enough and saved him from that unlucky fate by bringing the bar down onto its retainers with a curse. “I’ll better go and leave you to your intense fucking experience.“

“Don’t be silly,“ Nikandros immediately replied out of breath, “I’m not blond. He’d never fuck me, I’ll leave that to you.“

The corners of Laurent’s beautiful mouth quirked up and he looked over to Damen with amusement in his gaze. “Your lunch,“ he said, dropping two plastic bags into Nikandros‘ greedy hands. “Eat up, boys. Damen, you better take a shower before you come home, I won’t accept you smelling like a filthy animal.“

Their eyes met and Damen smirked. Both of them knew that he would not shower and that Laurent did not really want him to, but for the sake of keeping up Laurent’s appearance of being a coldhearted bitch he nodded solemnly like a scolded schoolboy.

“Hey Laurent,“ Nikandros called again, “You wanna give it a try?“

“Every time you ask me this,“ Laurent shot back, “And every time I say no. I won’t interfere in your thing.“ Damen sat up when Laurent’s voice drifted off a little and he frowned in thought, before he took a deep breath and settled down next to Damen. “But I wanted to ask you something.“

“What is it?“ Damen gently inquired and opened one of the plastic bags Laurent had brought, his mouth immediately watering at the sight of chicken breast, noodles and vegetables. Luckily, he knew that Laurent had ordered this, so it was safe to eat; not that he did not trust Laurent, but cooking was not something his lover was especially skilled at.

“It’s Auguste,“ Laurent murmured and hesitated for a moment while Damen’s heart sank. With a frown he looked down at his lunch, picking at the vegetables with his fork. There had been a time, a time before Nikandros and the military, where he had gone here with Auguste. The memories settled heavy like stones in his stomach now. “I was wondering…you know, Paschal thinks that he could do some exercises, not all of them of course, but…especially exercises for his arms and upper body, that would work. But he won’t go, Damen, and he won’t try at home. I was wondering if maybe – I’m not saying you need to take him with you on Workout Day, that’s your and Nik’s thing, but maybe you could go do a little exercise with him, get him into it again?“

“Oh, Laurent,“ Damen murmured, amazed that he had not thought of this earlier, but of course Laurent had thought of it, who knew how often. “Yes, of course. I’ll talk to him, love, I should have thought of it earlier.“

Laurent’s mouth softened at that and he gently squeezed his fingers. “Don’t worry, Damen, you can’t think of everything.“ There was some slight hesitation again, then Laurent murmured, “Thank you.“

Instead of a reply Damen kissed him noisily, which earned him a long-suffering sigh from Nikandros and another small smile from Laurent. He watched his lover walk away, his graceful movements turning the head of a few Alphas around them. For a moment there was a spike of jealousy at their gazes and he forced it down with determination; Laurent was capable of handling himself and would do so without hesitation. Damen did not doubt that Laurent wanted nobody but Damen, and it had nothing to do with arrogance. 

Meeting Nikandros‘ gaze, who stared after Laurent with a surprisingly thoughtful expression, Damen promptly said, “I thought we’d said no little bitches allowed ‘round here. Let’s get going again.“

“You know, I never thought I’d say this, but you got yourself a good mate there,“ Nikandros said after a moment with clearly pained expression; apparently admitting so much was quite hard on him. “He looks out for you and his family. That’s important, sometimes more important than staying in shape.“

“Yeah,“ Damen agreed with a smile, “He’s strong. I’m glad to have him. And you shouldn’t underestimat his physical abilities, he could crush you with those thighs, especially when they’re wrapped around your-“

“Okay, that’s enough,“ Nikandros promptly interrupted him with another long-suffering sigh and lifted a hand, “Let’s stop being emotional little bitches and get it on with the lifting. I can see your muscles wilt with every passing second, you lazy asshole.“

“Fuck yeah!“ Damen yelled, packed the food away and laid back down to grip the bar above him. Once more, Workout Day had made his life a little richer. It truly was the small things that counted, he thought with a fond smile and started to lift.

….the small things, and the thought of fucking Laurent senseless against a wall in the evening.


End file.
